I'm not referring to Emma Peel and John Steed. Apparently there's a new cartoon heading to television based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Is it just me, or are the characters' shapes reminiscent of the excellent Batman, Superman and Justice League cartoons from recent years?Obviously, this is crossover marketing with the Marvel-financed movies that are coming out using the "shared universe" approach that was popular in their comics. Movies like Iron Man, Thor, and The First Avenger: Captain America (while I understand the marketing behind "The First Avenger" tag, I don't really like its use) are leading up to The Avengers movie in which all the aforementioned superheroes appear on the same screen.
I can only assume that this is a preemptive marketing move to get the kiddies familiar with the characters before they hit the big screen. Marvel has always used animation to promote their brand (who doesn't remember the 60's Spider-Man television theme?). I just hope the new show isn't crappy like most of the cartoons they made of its characters in the 1990's (including their previous attempt at an Avengers cartoon).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-08-2008 @ 3:23PM
EbonyDad said...
Funny you should mention those crappy 1990's Marvel cartoons. They are playing a bunch of them on Toon Disney.
I didn't even know they had a Hulk & Avengers cartoon out in the late 90s. I guess at that time, I had a social life and no kids.
But you are right, they are crappy.
I hope the show is like the recent DVD animation movies of The Avengers released by Marvel Studios.
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10-08-2008 @ 11:46PM
Bob said...
DC and Warner Brothers really have a lock on the television animation market. Bruce Timm and those guys that made the orignal Batman animated series, laid the groundwork, and really set the bar for all of the Superhero based animation since then.
I've seen the Marvel DVD releases that have come out in the past few years and while they are entertaining, they still can't stand up to the animation done over at DC.
Even the Justice League cartoon that was on a few years ago looks much better than the stuff they do at Marvel (even though both use that crappy of 3D in their vehicles and buildings)
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10-09-2008 @ 11:40AM
Jennifer said...
Now wait a min, the 1990s Spiderman and X-Men weren't that bad. They even hold up now, if only in an amusing sense. For example, where I watched them then my 7 yr old watches them currently. Some of the episodes were even better than the comics from back in the day. Just look at it as an evolution in the series itself. I try to remind myself of that when she watches Superfriends. God, that's worse than the 60's Spiderman...
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10-09-2008 @ 12:38PM
EbonyDad said...
Sorry, I exclude X-Men and Spider Man from that list.
Who are on the list:
Iron Man
Fantastic Four
Hulk (with and without She-Hulk)
The Avengers
Silver Surfer
Spider Man Unlimited
10-09-2008 @ 1:49PM
Jennifer said...
Well I am definitely going to have to agree with you on those. They were pretty....strange. ;)
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10-18-2008 @ 4:03PM
Mel said...
Uh, yeah, EVERY SINGLE Marvel cartoon made for television absolutely sucked out loud, period. Marvel has a habit of dumbing-down their cartoons and cannot seem to separate the comic medium from the television medium.
In the comics when one reads "Let the winds come and forth and batter-down my opponent" (or something to that effect) as stated by Storm it is not as corny and stupid as her actually verbalizing that in a cartoon. Marvel also avoids showing punches actually connecting between characters. All they do is throw one another around and nothing more. It is absolutely hilarious. Their dialogue always sucks as do the storylines. Matter of fact even the voice-over talent sucks. I have always been a Marvel comics person from the time I was a kid back in the late 70's and early 80's. I rarely read DC comics. However, it is absolutely clear that DC's animation teams are FAR superior to Marvel's.
Marvel's DVD releases suck also, not quite as bad as the made-for-TV stuff but suck nonetheless.
Marvel should realize that they can make quality, kid-friendly animation without dumbing it down to a point whereas it makes adolescents and adults that enjoy good animation turn-away from it. Perhaps they can at least slightly improve the TV shows but keep keep them "friendly" for 5-12 y/o children but amp-up the DVD releases for the 13+ crowd to a point where it approaches the DC products.
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